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Saturday, 13 July 2013

Digital Canvas Special - Rocketbot.com

In this very special edition of Digital Canvas, I’ll be interviewing my own dear sister to learn more about Rocketbot.com, a site that she’s involved with and thinks that us comic-reading chaps would find interesting!

Todd Marsh: Please give us a brief description of the Rocketbot website for people who haven’t heard of it:

Becky Marsh: Rocketbot is a community site for comic creators/lovers of all ages and skill levels. It’s a place for creators to practise, grow and develop, gaining valuable feedback, hints and tips on making the best of your comic. It’s also a place to share ideas, find like-minded people and collaborate to bring new comics to life.

TM: How is it different from other art-sharing/showcase websites like Deviantart etc?

BM: Where other artistic communities welcome all kinds of art, Rocketbot is just focused on creating comics first and foremost, and all that goes into making comics. It’s difficult on sites like Deviantart to find like-minded people that can help you in a specific area. Rocketbot is all about comics and that’s rather refreshing.

Plus the creators of the site; Gene and Mary, are always on hand to talk to you directly, taking the time to reply with measured suggestions or criticism.

TM: How did you get involved with Rocketbot?

BM: I was lucky enough to already know the co-creator and head cheerleader Gene Kelly through a different site and when he announced his big new website project, I was happy to come along and sign up once Rocketbot had gone live. I am very pleased I did!

TM: Is it an easy site to join?

BM: Perfectly! Anyone can join and what’s more it’s completely free! You can still enjoy the website as a non-member, but membership is needed to upload comics.

TM: And for people who just like to browse, are there any comics or artists you’d particularly recommend?

BM: I’d certainly recommend the top man Gene Kelly himself! An all-rounder with a great sense of humour. His comics (including sibling superheroes Rocket and Bounce) are always impressively done, full of detail, and can always inspire me.

Matt Seniour is another guy who never ceases to amaze me (or make me laugh). His comic Battlecakes is one of my favourites on Rocketbot. Simple, colourful, a great twist on the norm. Trust me you will love this delicious comic!

Or for something a little more serious and mysterious you can’t go wrong with Seyrah’s “The Many Quantum Adventures of Alexandra Byers.” The perspectives, layouts and details in her comics are always pleasing, but what I enjoy most is her amazing storytelling.

TM: The site collectively brought out a graphic novel recently, could you tell us about that? (And where you can get hold of a copy?)

BM: The 1st Rocketbot Anthology was a great way to show off the site’s diversity of comic creators. This anthology was created by the Rocketbot community to highlight the amazing talent and creativity that can be found there. I myself managed to take part, collaborating with Gene to produce “The Explorer”, a short tale about an adventurous girl, her talking monkey and a magic map. It is such an amazing feeling to have your own work out there in print and was such a boost to me when the finished book came through the post. It was also the first time I had worked from someone else’s script. A fantastic learning curve and something I’m looking forward to doing again!